Stigma

Bae JooHyun collapsed on the floor as soon as the choreographer announced that they were done for the day. Staring at the glaring lights on the ceiling, JooHyun struggled to control her breath, her chest heaving heavily. She closed her eyes and allowed the adrenaline to drain away and the exhaustion and pain to kick in.

She had injured her ankle during a tricky part of the choreography but decided to not reveal it in fear of the practice being pushed forward a few hours. She knew her members were as tired and exhausted as her, so if she could control her pain for a while it will be better. And that is exactly what she did.

The coolness of the floor seeped through her clothes as she felt a little lightheaded. Six hours of continuous training and practice with little food in the stomach can do that to a person. However, the five members would definitely go through this every day if it leads to fulfilling their dreams.

In a matter of two months, the five girls were set to debut as idols under one of the top three entertainment companies of South Korea, SM Entertainment. Multiple years as trainees had made them aware that this was no joke. The pressure was immense but they were sure that they will pull through, that their struggle and endless practice will not be a waste.

JooHyun looked to her right to see Sooyoung sitting in a cross-legged position, leaning back with her hands supporting her. As if sensing her stare, Sooyoung looked at JooHyun and gave a bright smile. JooHyun smiled back and wordlessly the girls got up from their positions and walked towards the common table to grab their bags before exiting the room to go back to their dorms.

As soon as the girls entered their dorm they headed straight to take a shower. JooHyun came out of a steaming bathroom with a drowsy look on her face, feeling refreshed from the shower but soon very sleepy. She walked straight to her bed and collapsed on it letting sleep consume her finally after a long day.

“Wae nae mameul heundeuneun geonde! Wae nae mameul heundeuneun geonde”

“Aish! you girls are too loud! JooHyun Unnie is still slepping can you guys lower your volume!”

“Unnie! Isn’t this song too catchy? I love it!”

“I know but it is seven in the morning Yerim-ah and my head is already hurting because of the insane volume!”

“Aishh. Okay I’ll lower it down”

“Aishh?! Wahh No manners at all. Come here I will teach you a lesson”

JooHyun lay tucked in her bed listening to her members possibly chasing each other around. She could still hear the song play in the background and she smiled when her favorite part came on. It was short but it was her favorite part of the whole song. She felt silly for obsessing over a small part when there was a whole song that was so good.

His voice was like a key to a box full of strange emotions. She had seen them during their debut when she was still a rookie. For some reason, her eyes always strayed towards one person who always managed to catch her attention.

No one knew of her crush on him. She herself didn’t believe it, thinking that it was an attraction that is natural among teenagers. She had a reputation among other trainees- they called her ‘Ice Queen’- and she was determined to keep up that facade.

Now that was she going to be an idol singer soon, she will have an image and a reputation to uphold. She will be the leader of the upcoming group and harboring crushes on a fellow celebrity was not something she could allow to distract herself from her responsibilities.

Suddenly she smiled at the thought of her biggest dream coming true and pleased she dug her body deeper in the duvet and bopped her head to the song.